Schools are to issue advice to parents on how to raise their children amid
fears too many pupils are turning up to lessons unfit for the demands of
full-time education, it was announced today.

Families across Britain will be handed leaflets reminding them to put sons and daughters to bed on time, ensure they get at least 10 hours sleep, provide a healthy breakfast, set aside time for homework and bedtime stories, interact with them through board games and make sure they bring the correct equipment to school.

The guidance – issued by the National Association of Head Teachers with support from the Government – follows warnings that rising numbers of children aged four upwards are no longer "school ready".

It is claimed that children are increasingly starting school without getting enough sleep, completing homework, eating breakfast or bringing the correct books and PE kit.

Heads insist that many children – particularly those in the reception year – cannot talk or listen properly because of a lack of communication in the home.

Bernadette Hunter, NAHT president, said large numbers of parents failed to speak to their children because of the demands of work combined with over-exposure to television, DVDs, games consoles and the internet.

Speaking before the association’s annual conference in Birmingham on Friday, she said many “unprepared” pupils were from poor backgrounds, but the issue was also felt among middle-class families where busy parents fail to spend enough time with their children.

“Increasing numbers of children are coming to school not prepared to learn,” she said.

“Lots of head teachers are reporting children staying up too late at night, not getting enough sleep, coming into school tired and unable to concentrate and, in some cases, not having a proper breakfast.

“We also have a minority of children coming from families that lack the structure to make sure that the children have everything they need to bring to school like their reading books, homework and PE kit.”

The NAHT, which represents 28,500 heads, deputies and assistant head teachers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, has teamed up with the charity Family Action to produce guides to help parents ensure their children are ready for school.

The campaign – Ready to Learn Everyday, which has been backed by David Laws, the Schools Minister – will involve the distribution of a series of four leaflets through schools led by NAHT members.

The first is based on an “introduction to school readiness”. Advice includes:

• Setting time aside for talking to children “without being interrupted by phones, TV, radio, computer etc”;

• Playing games together as a family that encourage concentration, such as jigsaws and board games;

• Encourage physical play and exercise by taking a trip to the park or the local leisure centre’

• Give children “lots of hugs and praise”;

• Check your child has their name on everything they bring to school;

• Make sure they have a healthy breakfast at home or at the school’s breakfast club;

• Set aside time for “homework, reading and talking together, and bedtime stories”;

• Set appropriate sleep patterns, including 15 hours a day for under-fives, 10 hours for primary school pupils and at least nine hours for older children.

Mr Laws said: “I am delighted Family Action and NAHT will work together with schools to engage parents in getting their children ready for school.

“Readiness for school is vital for all children but it is crucial to ensuring children from disadvantaged backgrounds do not fall victim to the attainment gap.”